How to add any user to the SysAdmin role in SQL Server, with a short T-SQL script using sp_addsrvrolemember, or the same steps in Management Studio.
Connection Resiliency: Surviving Brief Wi-Fi and Network Drops
Configure connection resiliency for brief idle network drops, test ConnectRetryCount and ConnectRetryInterval, and separate retryable failures.
Leading Wildcard LIKE Searches: Why They Scan and What Helps
Diagnose a leading wildcard LIKE scan and compare prefix search, reversed suffix keys, full-text search, and n-gram indexing.
SQL Server Express Limits: What the 10 GB Cap Really Means
Check SQL Server Express limits by version, separate data files from logs, and identify the memory, CPU, and scheduling limits that affect you.
SQL SERVER – Find Next Running Time of Scheduled Job Using T-SQL
A scheduled job has recorded scheduling metadata as well as its actual execution history. I check both before promising a next run.
Keeping SSMS Up to Date
Keeping SSMS up to date means reading release notes, choosing a supported channel, planning side by side installs, and checking settings.
Five DMVs Worth Memorizing
Five DMVs worth memorizing show SQL Server sessions, active requests, waits, index use, and file I/O during an incident.